How losing Joshua trees could help save them in the long run
3,500 Joshua trees are to be cleared for the construction of 2,300 acres of solar farms in the Mojave Desert, a potentially necessary sacrifice if California is to meet its clean energy goals.
A lamb puppet named Judeh reports from the Mojave Desert, where 3,500 Joshua trees are to be cleared for the construction of a large-scale solar farm that will bring power to some 180,000 homes in coastal neighborhoods.
The untouched high desert ecosystems will be destroyed to speed up the clean energy transition — a sacrifice some see as necessary to stave off the worst of a changing climate for both man and tree.
Perhaps 90% or more Joshua tree habitats could be lost by the end of the century due to climate change and human and environmental pressures.
As a keystone species, Joshua trees are essential to their habitats in the high desert.
According to the county, the California company overseeing the 2,300-acre project has put more than $1.4 million into a fund to protect Joshua trees elsewhere in the state.
The company would also have to relocate any threatened desert tortoises or Mohave ground squirrels during construction.
Times climate columnist Sammy Roth speaks to Judeh on the trade-offs California will have to navigate to meets its goal of 100% zero-carbon emissions by 2045.
Learn more about the solar farms coming to Kern County: Solar project to destroy thousands of Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert
The untouched high desert ecosystems will be destroyed to speed up the clean energy transition — a sacrifice some see as necessary to stave off the worst of a changing climate for both man and tree.
Perhaps 90% or more Joshua tree habitats could be lost by the end of the century due to climate change and human and environmental pressures.
As a keystone species, Joshua trees are essential to their habitats in the high desert.
According to the county, the California company overseeing the 2,300-acre project has put more than $1.4 million into a fund to protect Joshua trees elsewhere in the state.
The company would also have to relocate any threatened desert tortoises or Mohave ground squirrels during construction.
Times climate columnist Sammy Roth speaks to Judeh on the trade-offs California will have to navigate to meets its goal of 100% zero-carbon emissions by 2045.
Learn more about the solar farms coming to Kern County: Solar project to destroy thousands of Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert
